Values

“I go on this great republican principle, that the people will have virtue and intelligence to select men of virtue and wisdom. To suppose that any government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people is a chimerical idea.”

James Madison

PREAMBLE AND DEDICATION

The Founding Fathers of these United States of America set forth a framework for a federal government based on the consent of a free people. The South Carolina Republican Party is concerned that our cherished American heritage is too often taken for granted and not thoroughly understood. Often, only lip service is paid to the principles and traditions that have made our State and Nation great. There appears to be less emphasis on educating our children in such a manner as to allow them, when grown, to successfully govern themselves as a free people. For these reasons, we have chosen to highlight the Constitution of the United States by emphasizing the role it can play, when carefully and knowledgeably followed, in securing for our State and our Nation the liberties we hold dear.

The Constitution of the United States, which established a democratic republic, provided very specific and limited powers to the new government. Only those powers and duties specifically enumerated within the Constitution of the United States were granted by the States and the people, to the national government. Despite this specific limiting language of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers quickly recognized the need for further restrictive clauses. As a result, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, were adopted. Included among these was the Tenth Amendment, which directly and articulately states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

In founding this nation our forefathers recognized the need for a national government, yet at the same time understood the potential threats to the liberty of a free people that a large central government could pose. The resulting Constitution of the United States, with its federal system, is a brilliant balancing of the respective needs to establish order in a civilized society while yet protecting the God- given liberties of a free people.

The Founding Fathers were men of great faith, learning, dedication and loyalty to their communities, their states and their new nation. Nevertheless, they did not imagine that they could solve all of the problems of this new nation for years to come in a single document. They fervently believed the framework they established, in the hands of a learned, God-fearing, free people could be used to channel the powers of the national government so as to allow the ingenuity and free will of the citizenry to appropriately address all issues which might arise.

In like manner, this platform of the South Carolina Republican Party is intended to identify and clearly establish those principles for which this Party stands. Unlike previous editions of the Platform, it is not intended to address every issue currently being discussed in the political arena. To the contrary, it is intended to be a continuing statement of foundational principles upon which the South Carolina Republican Party is based. Similar to the original intent of the Constitution of the United States, this Platform, when its principles are followed, should lead to an appropriate resolution of specific issues.

While the laws of man may change, the laws of nature and God are unchanging. To withstand the battering winds of common fads and short- lived ideas, to protect the liberties that we of this nation enjoy, and to secure the blessings of those liberties for ourselves and our posterity, we must learn the lessons of history and remain true to those principles upon which this great nation was founded.

The Republican Party of South Carolina believes that our State and Nation can only remain strong provided that our families remain strong. We recognize that by emphasizing the importance of family and personal responsibility, our society may reap peace for today and hope for tomorrow. Realizing that the governance of this great land will one day rest in the hands of the children we now raise, We, the South Carolina Republican Party, dedicate this platform to the children of South Carolina in the hope and sincere belief that the blessings of liberty will be maintained provided the price of eternal vigilance is paid in full.